Air Force begins to clear grounded F-15s

Air Force begins to clear grounded F-15s

	Published : Thu, 15 Nov 2007 23:29 By : Agencies Print this Story

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Air Force said Thursday it ordered safety inspections on 224 Boeing F-15 fighter jets in order to return the aircraft to flight status nearly two weeks after they were grounded in response to a crash still under investigation.

All 676 of Boeing Co.'s F-15s, including mission-critical jets, were indefinitely grounded Nov. 3 by the Air Force due to 'airworthiness concerns' after a plane flown by the Missouri Air National Guard crashed during a training exercise near Salem City.

Air Combat Command Gen. John Corley cleared nearly one-third of the grounded F-15s following an initial review from an engineering analysis, Maj. Thomas Crosson, an Air Force spokesman, said.

Boeing spokeswoman Patricia Frost declined to comment due to the Air Force's pending 30-day investigation of the aircraft.

Each F-15E aircraft will now undergo a 13-hour safety inspection before being cleared to fly, said Crosson.

While the F-15 has been grounded, the Air Force has been relying on Lockheed Martin Corp.'s F-16 fight jet, among other aircraft for routine missions. The F-15 has remained available for combat or other emergency situations.

'The driving force was that we knew they would be cleared for flight once they passed the inspection,' said Crosson.

The Air Force stressed that while the F-15s are vital to defense of the nation and to joint forces serving in U.S. Central Command, it 'will not rush the F-15E fleet back to flight.'

The F-15E, which is the latest version of the aging aircraft fleet, is being used in operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Air Force is currently seeking to replace its aging F-15s, the oldest dating back to 1975, with Lockheed Martin Corp.'s F-22 Raptor.

The F-15 was originally manufactured by St. Louis-based McDonnell-Douglas, which was purchased by the Chicago-based Boeing Co. about a decade ago. Boeing delivered its last F-15 to the U.S. Air Force in December 2004, but still manufacturers the aircraft for other customers, according to the company.

Shares of Boeing fell $1.45 to close at $91.34.